Red Sox land pair on Top 100 Prospects list

BOSTON -- The Red Sox hope that the power bat of Michael Chavis and the electric arm of Jay Groome will create a lot of excitement for the Fenway faithful once the young players have completed their development.

Their promise is evident by the fact that they are on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list, as announced Saturday night on MLB Network. Chavis is ranked No. 79, and Groome is No. 85.

BOSTON -- The Red Sox hope that the power bat of Michael Chavis and the electric arm of Jay Groome will create a lot of excitement for the Fenway faithful once the young players have completed their development.

Their promise is evident by the fact that they are on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list, as announced Saturday night on MLB Network. Chavis is ranked No. 79, and Groome is No. 85.

The annual ranking of MLB's Top 100 prospects is assembled by MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Mike Rosenbaum, who compile input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. Only players with rookie status entering the 2018 season are eligible for the list. Players who were are at least 25 years old when they signed and played in leagues deemed to be professional (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba) are not eligible.

Chavis, a third baseman in recent years, is now adding first base to his repertoire. But his bat is his separator.

In a breakthrough 2017 season that started at Class A Advanced Salem and finished at Double-A Portland, Chavis belted 31 homers and had 94 RBIs to go along with a .910 OPS.

If the 22-year-old Chavis can continue that momentum, he might not be far from taking aim at the Green Monster with his powerful right-handed swing.

"I'd like to say I feel like I'm pretty close, significantly closer than I felt like I was last year," Chavis said recently. "Obviously that's not up to me, and it's not something I really can control and say, 'Hey, I'm ready.' So that's not really something I worry too much about. Obviously it's been my lifelong goal to play in the big leagues, but whenever I get that opportunity, I'm definitely going to take advantage of it."

Groome has wisely spent his offseason taking advantage of an invaluable mentor named Chris Sale. When Boston's ace heard that Groome was moving to Fort Myers, Fla., for the winter, Sale took the 19-year-old lefty under his wing, and they've been working out together three to four times a week.

"I mean, the kid's been throwing 98 [mph] since he was 14. He's got all the tools. I'm not reconstructing this guy," said Sale. "You know, I'm just working out with him and picking his brain a little bit, just trying to maximize his potential. That guy is an animal. I'm just trying to give him some ins and outs and try to get him here sooner rather than later."